VIDEO: Pte James Grigg and his regiment The Vikings honoured in Diss street naming ceremony

A fallen hero of the War in Afghanistan and his regiment were immortalised in Diss today with a street naming in their honour.

The family of Pte James Grigg were present to open Grigg Close, after their son, who died in March 2010 aged 21 when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off as he went deep into Taliban territory in Helmand Province.

Vikings Close was also opened, named after the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment - also known as The Vikings.

Diss has established close ties with the regiment after it was granted Freedom of the Town status in November 2012.

The streets, off Willbye Avenue, are developments by housing association Saffron Housing.

They were opened officially by Michael and Pat Grigg, Pte Grigg’s mother and father, MP for South Norfolk Richard Bacon, Graham Minshull, the Diss Town Councillor instrumental in the town’s close links with the regiment, and soldiers from the Royal Anglians.

Mr Grigg, of Stradbroke, told the Diss Express: “It has been quite and emotional day. We are proud about what has been done for James, but it’s not just for James, it’s for everyone in the regiment who has served out there, been injured and hasn’t come back.

“He (Pte Grigg) would have been very proud of today, but he would stress that it is not for him, it is for everyone. That would have been very important as far as he was concerned - he was a team player.

“We feel a special connection to Diss.”

Graham Minshull, a Saffron Non-Executive Director and Mayor of Diss when the Freedom of the Town was granted to the Vikings, said: “I am delighted that Saffron is not only able to provide more affordable homes in Diss but in addition is cementing the town’s relationship with the Vikings.

“All of us feel it a privilege to be able to honour a Viking who died whilst on tour. We hope that James Grigg’s family will be pleased that their son is remembered in this way.”

Saffron Housing Trust is a major provider of affordable housing in the area and has completed eight new homes on sites where redundant garages had stood just off Willbye Avenue.

This adds to more than 5,000 Saffron homes throughout East Anglia.

These new homes include four one-bedroom houses, one two-bedroom house and three three-bedroom chalet bungalows.

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